While planning my trip to Africa, at the last minute, I decided to book a few days in Zanzibar, only because I liked the name. I had no idea what to expect and so it definitely far exceeded my expectations. New Friends+Culture+Sun+Heat+Ocean+Kite Surfing Surfing+Sailing+African Music Festival+Yoga and running on the beach almost every day.

It was a dream come true to be in Africa! I still can’t believe I saw so much wildlife, it was truly an inspiration to see what can happen with conservation.

However, I am not sure about all of the negative impacts on the local tribes+villages that were moved from their land to create these national parks. Even though I was absolutely enjoying this amazing experience, it was something that kept crossing my mind. We would see the Masai on occasion and they were extremely offended if we were to take photos, so no pictures were taken. I can only imagine how annoying it must be to have your land taken away and then have all of these Westerners come to view the wildlife and snap photos of you as they pass by… I did not end up having any deep conversation with any of these people, so I can not speak about how they must feel. But it was definitely something that bothered me and made me think about how I was traveling through Tanzania.

The Great Migration! We saw part of it as we were leaving the Serengeti. Magic!

I can not believe I have been in Uganda for a little over a month now. I am still in love with this place.

I have posted some pictures below of several of the people I have met and several of the places I have been – mostly in and around the Jinja area. Many of the pictures are from the villages I have visited with WORI and from the village I am staying in right now (Bujagali), which is on the White Nile.

Words cannot describe the amazing + beautiful experience of going on a safari in Uganda. My favorite part was spending an hour with the mountain gorillas ~ as this was truly one of the most magical experiences I think I will ever have in my life.

TIA Adventures – owned and operated by Leyla and Pete, made this experience for Jenn Wynn and myself the absolute best. If you are ever planning a trip to Uganda – you must organize your adventure with them!!!!